Guilty plea entered in meth case

By Margi WashburnOf the Star Courier

Thursday

Apr 5, 2018 at 9:22 PM

Woman also admits to possessing Taser as felon

Melissa J. Sallee, 32, of Kewanee pleaded guilty to Class X felony delivery of 16.8 grams of methamphetamine and Class 3 felony carry/possession of a firearm near a public school.At a February, 2017 preliminary hearing Galva Police Sgt. Chad Goff testified that at 1:20 a.m. on Nov. 7 he stopped a car with three occupants for two turn-signal violations.Goff said Sallee was the front-seat passenger and had to be told several times to leave the car. Sallee had a black safe-type box in her hands and Goff said she didn’t seem to know what to do with it.Sallee told him she just received a cash settlement of over $5,000 but could not open the safe because she lost the combination after her daughter changed it.Goff used a punch and hammer to open the safe where he found digital scales, $3,100 in cash, over 19 grams of crystal meth, tweezers, over 30 pieces of packaging materials, and Sallee’s YMCA card and social security card.Goff said Sallee told him she used some of the settlement money to buy a small amount of meth.Sallee’s defense attorney Virgil Thurman argued that the Galva police department seized the black box and kept it for eight days before applying for a search warrant, depriving Sallee of her constitutional right to possession of her property.Goff said he based the seizure on the totality of the events, including the driver of the car Sallee was in was seen leaving a “known drug house”, Sallee’s felony history and her furtive movements when asked to exit the car.Goff said he found a Taser beneath the black box in Sallee’s purse, and as a convicted felon she is not to have one in her possession.A pre-sentencing investigation was ordered. Sentencing is set for 2 p.m. on May 22.

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